Japanese Minister of Economy to Visit China from 21st to 23rd for APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting

(Central News Agency, Taipei, 21st) Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ryosei Akazawa, will visit China from today until the 23rd to attend the 2026 APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Ministers' Meeting will be held in Suzhou from the 22nd to the 23rd. According to Kyodo News' Chinese service, the Japanese government announced on the 20th that Ryosei Akazawa will visit China from the 21st to the 23rd to attend this meeting. China is the host of APEC this year. According to reports, this trade ministers' meeting will discuss the strengthening of investment and supply chains, the reform of the functionally stagnant World Trade Organization (WTO), and is expected to hold consultations on areas such as artificial intelligence (AI). Sino-Japanese relations hit a low point after Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made her "Taiwan contingency" statement last November. Foreign media report that whether Akazawa will meet with Chinese officials during the meeting is being closely watched by the outside world.